The K–12 STEM Educators Virtual Summit is a professional development opportunity designed especially for middle and high school STEM educators and presented by UTeach alumni. Through teacher-led presentations and workshops, attendees will gain practical strategies, skills, and resources they can use to enhance student learning and achieve their professional goals.
Register on USEA Connect or with this Qualtrics form.
Special Sessions
Elevating the Profession: Unveiling the Sixth 'E' in Preservice Teacher Education
Ariel Taylor
Master Teacher, University of Texas at Austin
UTeach Austin Alumnus
This session is an interactive journey of self-discovery and professional elevation. Real Talk, Real Stories: Get ready for candid anecdotes and relatable tales from the trenches of teaching. It's not just about textbooks, it's about navigating the class chaos.
Research-Driven Teaching: Engaging in Research While in the Classroom
Jacqueline Ekeoba
Master Teacher, University of Houston
teachHOUSTON Alumnus
Ashley Saenz
Teacher, Pace Early College High School
Michael Ralph
Vice President and Director of Research, Multistudio
UKanTeach Alumnus
Classroom Management
Boosting Engagement in Schools
Juliet Goodfellow
Join me for an immersive session delving into the dynamics of school involvement. Discover practical strategies to enhance student, staff, and parent engagement at your own school and walk away equipped with actionable plans to enrich your school community in the upcoming academic year.
Rethinking the Classroom, Part 1: Brainstorming and Equity vs Equality
Alexander Eden
Doctoral Candidate in Biology Education, Florida International University
UTeach MAss Lowell Alumnus
Rethinking the Classroom, Part 2: Guiding Principles and Classroom Norms
Nick Orr
Geoscience & AP Environmental Science Innovator, Nevada Learning Academy at CCSD
FIUTeach Alumnus
Leadership
Guide to Conference Presenting
Kacey Grant (Bielek)
Emma DeVine
Presenting at conferences can elevate your career. Learn how to pick conferences, submit proposals, and get funding.
Exemplar Lessons and Curriculum
Connecting PBL to Community: Why and How to Integrate Authentic Stakeholders Into Projects
Michael Ralph
Vice President and Director of Research, Multistudio
UKanTeach Alumnus
Project-based Learning is at its best when we provide authentic driving questions that are connected to the world beyond the school walls. UKanTeach graduate Michael Ralph will share his experience both in the classroom and on the industry side of partnerships to provide guidance for better integrating community engagements into your PBLs. This session will include an overview of how external partners can fit into high-quality PBL design, what his research has shown about the role of collaboration and connections in improving teacher practice, and some practical advice from his experience making these connections throughout his career.
Connecting Students with the Community Through Math Rooms [Lightning Talk]
Matt Hertel
Executive Director, Math Happens
This short talk will share the basic elements of our Math Rooms, which comprise public math play spaces embedded in nature centers, museums, or cultural centers in four locations in three cities. The presentation will focus on the experiences of the graduate students and college students who staff the spaces and interacting with families, individuals, the host institutions' staff, and learners of all types.
Field Trip Learning: Native Flowering Plant Dissections
Octavio Fernandez
Science Department Chair, Shenandoah Middle School
FIUTeach Alumnus
Many community learning centers are eager to host field trips, offering free curriculum and scholarships for students to partake in experiential learning. I'll share a fun example of a lesson I developed with a local botanical garden and dish out other exciting trip ideas that double up as fantastic reviews for exams or tests. Finally, I'll offer advice on how we can weave experiential learning into our school days with both on-campus and off-campus adventures. Let's dive in and make learning an unforgettable journey!
Hands-On CS Education: Connecting Classrooms to Real-World CS
Jason Slabodsky
Teacher Support Specialist, UTeach Computer Science
Connect computer science to real-world applications with practical insights from UTeach CS! This interactive session will explore effective strategies and tools to seamlessly integrate computational thinking, programming, and cybersecurity into any classroom. We’ll highlight unplugged activities that are accessible to all students and provide examples of project-based programming challenges that are inspired by real-world, socially relevant issues. We will also explore how to introduce cybersecurity literacy through activities that model "tech for good" and feature several AI tools that can support lesson planning. Whether you're an experienced CS educator or just starting out, this session will equip you with resources.
How Student-Led Data Collection Drives Inquiry-Based Science Lessons
Daniel Golub
Master Teacher, University of California, Berkeley
True inquiry-based science instruction is difficult. This presentation uses an exemplary lesson (Straw Rocket Investigation) as a means to support teachers in two key components of inquiry-based science instruction: having students collect their own data and choose what to investigate. The presentation walks through these components with supporting graphic organizers that could be used and edited by teachers in their own practices. By the end of the presentation, teachers should have hands-on tools to lead inquiry-based science lessons.
Math Mentorship Program
Leticia Burgos
Master Teacher, University of Texas Rio Grande
A middle school Math Mentorship Program, where gifted students assist students in need, has proven to increase passing grades.
